How to Manage a Child's Temper Tantrum

While strolling the grocery store aisles, your little one spots a desired treat and reaches out to retrieve it. When you make it clear that the treat is off-limits, your child may resort to crying, yelling and kicking. While outbursts like these can feel embarrassing while out in public, they are also common. There are several ways to defuse a temper tantrum and to make them less likely to occur again in the future.

Instructions

    • 1

      Monitor your own behavior. Yelling at your child, hitting her or giving in to her tantrum can lead to negative outcomes, such as your child bottling up her anger or resorting to tantrums more often in the future. If you cannot keep calm, give yourself a time-out from your child until you can manage the situation calmly.

    • 2

      Figure out what is triggering your child's behavior. If he is tired or hungry, ensuring that those needs are met as quickly as possible can manage a temper tantrum. If your child is having a tantrum because he wants a toy or candy, removing him from being near the desired item may defuse his tantrum.

    • 3

      Ignore the outburst. While some behaviors such as kicking and hitting should not be ignored, your child may calm down when she realizes that crying and yelling do not earn attention, according to the Ask Dr. Sears website. If your child is older, you might also issue a firm reminder of your expectations, such as saying, "Do not scream at your sister."

    • 4

      Offer distractions to help your child calm down. Giving your daughter an object she is allowed to have may relieve some of her frustrations. Changing locations, such as going indoors if the tantrum begins outdoors, can also offer enough of a distraction that the tantrum stops.

    • 5

      Help your child verbalize his feelings. Learning how to put his stress into words, such as saying, "I'm upset that I have to stay home while my friends are going out," may reduce future temper tantrums, according to KidsHealth.org.

    • 6

      Acknowledge your child's positive behaviors. Consistently focusing on your child's poor behavior, rather than his ability to handle stress calmly, may reinforce future temper tantrums, according to KidsHealth.org.

    • 7

      Give your child some control. If temper tantrums often occur when you say "no," give your child the choice between two options to prevent temper tantrums, says KidsHealth.org. For example, let her choose between the red shirt and the blue shirt instead of simply saying "no" to the pink one.

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